Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1887-08-05
MRS. SHARP'S SORROW.
She Tells OF Her Long, Happy Life
With the Convicted Man.

With tho Convicted Man.
| Only twice during recent years, says Tht
4 Neto York World, has favor been shown TO
j prisoners In Ludlow street jail to the exten
Of allowing mans wife to share his imprison
ment. Both OF these exceptions were in no
table cases. The first was when CAV, hand
some fashionable Mrs. Ferdinand Ward re
mained with her husband to nurse him
through the Illness which overlook him there
The second case is that at present before oui
| eyes-the frail, loving old wife of Jacob Sharp
sharing his confinement
To one upon whom such burden has never
come the presence Of Mrs. Sharp In the coun-
ty jail with her convicted husband seems only
A most natural and easy thing, but 1t is prov
ing TO her a burden almost greater than she
can bear. Mrs. sharp remains beside her hus-
band every highland all night-sitting by
his bedside, eagerly anticipating his every
wish.
"God gave me my dear husband" she says
TO all who try TO comfort her, "and he has
given us great happiness together. trust
Him.
Mrs. Sharp is delicate woman, dlgniied
and charming for one who must certainly be
nearly 20 years old. When woman and a
stranger sent in a card on Wednesday morn
ing word came back at once; "Mrs. Sharp
1oes not remember the name, but she will be
glad to receive you" And when the visitor
entered the cheerful breakfast-room that looks
put upon the courtyard in the center OF the
jail Mrs. Sharp stood with hand outstretched
TO a woman she never saw before.
What can | do for you, my childp she
said.
There was no smile on the delicate, pale
face, and the voice was weak and almost bro
Ken, but the look as well as the tone was that
Of gentle woman whose first thought even
IN her trouble and that she could 'be of use"
to someone elese, The unconventional speech
made the conversation that would so easily
have been strained natural aud free Mrs
Sharp very soon spoke of her dear husband"
as she always calls him, In the tendercst and
most unaffected way. AT the same time she
spoke feelngly of the burden that they have
been carrying together and which has seemed
SO unnecessarily severe. "They are killing us
BOTH" she said passionately. ave are old
people now, and every stroke tells upon US"
Mrs. Sharp speaks of herself In this way, as II
she were very near the end of the days she
might expect to be granted her, but one see
ing her for the first time would think of her as
being "old.n Indeed, a man who has seen
Der number of times about the jail spoke of
her as beng ABOUT As or 50 years of age. Her
hair is quite gray now, and is worn In soft
waves about her face. Her eyes ore gray and
clcaf, real womauly eyes. Her nose is straight
apd fine, and the whole type OF the face is, as
near as it NAV be expressed, that which Is al
ways recognized as belonging TO "a New
England lady," Not the strong, determined
New England woman's face, but the quiet re-
fined, somewhat pensive countenance that fol-
lows years OF repression, thoughtfulness and
care In height Mrs Sharp is about five feet
two or three, and In figure neither generous
or slight In short, taking all in al, the wife
Of this man, whose name is on every tongue is
Just the woman whom his disgrace most cruel
ly hurts, but whose love will outlast 1t all.
Dgnifed sympathetic loving and Christian
woman, it is small wonder that the bond be-
tween them should be SO close. How close
his bond has been Mrs. Sharp's own words
tell best. Speaking Of their happy life to
gether, she said:
1--WE have been so happy my dear husband
and l. He has been everything to me that a
woman could ask or desire. My every wish,
my slightest fancy, 1t has always been his
pleasure to fulfill. Oh, we had been looking
forward SO TO next yearl Fifty years We
should have been married the 23d of next
March.
Should have been,' Mrs Sharpm
"Yes, yes should have been' 1t is killing
my dear husband before my eyes this terrible
trouble, and know If anything should hap
pen to him l should soon go, too. We have
been happy too long Tor one to be content
without the other now"
"But surely, YOU do not feel so seriously
alarmed about Mr. Sharp's condition. He is
not worsep'
mot worse perhaps in one way, but he is so
weak No one but myself and his physicians
know how weak. He has been so brave about
IL, so almost foolish brave 1t has seemed
sometimes to me as II he did not realize what
IL meant; he has been so strict about allowing
ANYTHING to be done that could possibly be
construed into desire for effect He has not
allowed me to go to the courtroom for fear
partly OF the effect It would have on me and
partly for fear it would seem like trying to
create sympathy. lie has sat bolt upright In
his seat for hours when he was positively unfit
to be out of his bed, and he has been MS cherry
and as helpful to me as he could be. Not even
TO me has he complained of the unnecessary
things that have been done to make the dis
grace more deep and Infamous"
Even while she talked Mrs. Sharp kept glanc-
ing anx ously at the room wherein her husband
was vainly trying to get alttle rest AS she
finished speaking the trim young woman, who
had been laying the table, motioned to her,
but Mrs. Sharp waved her away. 1t seemed as
II IL were rellel 10 ner 10 speak anu speak
freely.
"Oh, II they only knew him as know him."
she continued. II have been his wife for
nearly fifty years and have been bis confden-
tial friend as well, but l have never known
him even to think of doing anything that was
not honorable. Even In the most trivial things
he has believed that what he has said he would
do, he must do, and that he would not say he
would do anything that was not right, He has
been honor itself He has practiced always
what he preached, aud he has tried TO bring up
his children to believe and act as he does.n
Before / 20, Mrs. Sharp said the visitor,
WARMLY, sis there ANYTHING that l or anyone
else could do for youlh
"Noth ing nothing. thank you for coming.
It has been a comfort to me. They have been
very considerate and kind TO US here, but 1t is
a horrible substitute for our home. No; there
are only two helps for my husband and myself
now. One is the lifting of this terrible black
cloud and the other ls-death for US both"